Background
Psoriasis is a genetically determined inflammatory and proliferative disease of the skin. There is now increased evidence for the role of nitric oxide in some diseases, including psoriasis. Nitric oxide is a potent regulator of keratinocyte growth and differentiation and stimulates angiogenesis.
Aim
This study aimed to detect serum nitric oxide level in active psoriasis patients, to correlate these levels with severity of the disease scored with psoriasis area and severity index, and compare them with those in normal individuals.
Patients and methods
Twenty-five patients with active psoriasis and 25 age-matched and sex-matched controls were recruited after their written consent was obtained. Patients on local or systemic treatment or with coexisting inflammatory skin disease were excluded. Serum nitric oxide levels were assessed using the Griess method.
Results
The mean serum nitric oxide levels (95.96 ± 12.7 μmol/l) were significantly higher in active psoriasis patients than that in the healthy controls (27.1 ± 6.85 μmol/l).
Conclusion
The significantly elevated serum levels of nitric oxide and their positive correlation with the severity of psoriasis may suggest the possible role of this mediator in the etiopathogenesis of the disease, and suggest a potential future therapy for the disease.